uaru amphiacanthoides (Uaru Cichlid)

One of the lesser kept South American Cichlids in the hobby and dubbed as a poor man’s discus. Although I can’t fathom to understand the reason being so, the only resemblance and merit to this claim can be their initial period of adjusting to the new environment. They should be called the gentle giants instead.
Reaching to sizes around 8”, they are hardcore omnivores and are easily recognized by their gray colour with a solid black thick line reaching their tail. This black patch comes once they have attained maturity. Juveniles tend to have the same colour, but instead of the black patch, they will host white circular dots throughout and a faint impression of the black solid line which is yet to come. They are a little hard to settle in a tank initially, but once settled, they are extremely hardy.
They are an ideal cichlid to keep with peaceful fishes of American origin as they will not take undue advantage of their size. Although every fish is different, but from my experience, I noticed them only to pay attention to the vegetation leaving aside the tetras and other small fishes which can easily be a snack for any other fish of its size. Their diet causes a constraint for keeping them in black water tanks which uses almond leaf or similar to release tannins. They share ideal water parameter and temperature with most South American Cichlids, so they usually suffer in the cold. I had no such problems in the scorching heat as my tank temperature rose upto 30-32 degrees which led to the conclusion that they can tolerate heat pretty well. Except the first 3 weeks, they were not affected by any diseases, so in my personal experience, if they are settled, they seem pretty hardy.
They should be fed with a mix of veggie diet supplemented with meaty treats once in a while. Although they readily gobble up anything that looks like food, but they are in their best when fed with a mix of pellets and some vegetables. I used to feed the cucumber slices and commercial food as well as frozen artemia (which was intended for other fish). I kept them with earth eaters and tetras and presently they are housed in a 5’ tank with altifrons. They do need a bit of room to grow and their speed of growth is pretty normal.
They should be avoided to be kept with aggressive fishes as uarus are shy in nature. They are not harem breeders but like most American cichlids, they form a pair and lay eggs in huge numbers. Parental care is pretty good as both parents guard their fries.
I have shared my experience in the journey of a 3″ uaru to a 6″+ beast! Share your uaru pictures and experience in keeping this fish.